Sure Travel Journey Vol 4.1 Summer 2018 | Page 43

A PASSAGE TO RANTHAMBHORE
G E R R I E P R E T O R I O U S D I S C O V E R S L O C A L F L AV O U R S A N D W I L D T I G E R S I N N O R T H E R N I N D I A
I’m packed into the train carriage so
tightly, a stranger’s baby boy happily
perched on my lap while she’s in the
bathroom, that I can’t even wriggle to
stretch the cramp out of my leg. Sweat,
attar (perfume from flower oils) and
the spices from the many meals being
shared are whisked together in the humid
air by the fan whirring lazily overhead –
our only source of “fresh” air in India’s
40-degree-plus heat. I couldn’t be happier.
Not only is this my preferred method
of travel – wedged between the locals,
sharing food and immersed in their culture
– but I’m on my way to tick “sighting the
endangered Bengal tiger” off my bucket
list. Hopefully.
It started – like all my best
travel adventures – spontaneously.
Accompanying a group of guests on the
Indian golden triangle from New Delhi
through Agra and Jaipur, I got wind of a
local train running to Sawai Madhopur,
the gateway town to the Ranthambhore
National Park, a vast wildlife reserve in
the northern Indian state of Rajasthan
that’s home to the Bengal tigers. It was
a no-brainer: I hopped on the first taxi
and headed for the train station, where I
bought an economy ticket from a vendor
© SHUTTERSTOCK
Left: A local tourist taking in the view from the old fort. Above: Getting there is half the fun.
Ranthambhore Fort, inside the national park, played a pivotal role in Rajasthan’s history.
outside and settled in for the ride.
A few hours and countless leg cramps
later I arrived in Sawai Madhopur, found
myself a little hostel at the end of the
main street and ordered some Tiger
Beer for Dutch courage; my task for the
next morning was not for the faint of
heart. One does not simply buy tickets to
Ranthambhore: getting in to this national
park is more like playing the Lottery and
Survivor at the same time. The ticket
office opens at 4 a.m. to a queue of
screaming, pushing locals trying to get
one of the limited tickets, issued daily. So
popular is the park that authorities have
divided it into 10 zones and entry into your
designated zone is strictly for a four-hour
time slot. Locals lucky and pushy enough
t